Hunt will kill the wrong wolves

November 8, 2013

In your recent article "Wolf Season is New Kid on the Block," it is stated that "the wolf season is a limited, targeted management hunt designed to minimize wolf-related conflicts in specific areas of the U.P."

Any sensible person might nod and agree with such a tactic, but a careful look at numbers and predation in the area shows otherwise:

From 2010 through July 2012, there were 62 livestock preyed on by wolves. A combination of non-lethal deterrents and lethal control of specific individuals has resulted in an 81 percent decline in wolf predation.

In the U.P. there have been 12 livestock depredation events in 2013. None in Unit A (where 16 wolves are targeted); three in Unit B (where 19 wolves are targeted), and four in Unit C (where 8 wolves are targeted).

There are currently active permits in Unit C to kill any wolf on the property where the recent depredations took place.

The wolf hunt will kill the wolves that already "know the rules."

The packs will be disrupted, the puppies that aren't competent hunters could turn to livestock and the very reason for the hunt: to minimize wolf-related conflicts, will, in fact, likely increase livestock predation.